Theodora Raftis - Kaiser Constantin I. Feldzug und Sieg - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

On her new album pioneering Romanian vocalist Teodora Brody joins forces with one of the world's great orchestras to explore well-known classical repertoire from an entirely fresh perspective. Rising with style and energy to realise virtuosic orchestrations by Lee Reynolds; the London Symphony Orchestra voyage with Teodora through classical; jazz and Romanian folk traditions; resulting in a multi-faceted; truly unique musical experience. Born in Romania; and now based in Germany; Teodora Brody initially trained in classical jazz and rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s singing with legendary jazz pianist Johnny Raducanu. Acclaimed for her extraordinary vocal power and creative vision; Teodora pioneered the fusion of jazz with Doina - Romania's improvisatory folk singing tradition - and is widely credited with introducing international audiences to this extraordinary; deeply emotive music. In 2004 the American government named Teodora a Romanian Cultural Ambassador to the USA; and in both 2007 and 2008 Teodora was awarded the prize for 'Best International Jazz Contribution by a Romanian Artist' by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company. In recent years with unique projects including 'From Classical to Jazz' and 'Classical Emotion'; Teodora has explored classical repertoire with a completely fresh approach; reimagining well-known works by composers including Bach; Beethoven; Pachelbel; Vivaldi; Bartók; Pau Casals and the beloved Romanian composer George Enescu. In 2019 'From Classical to Jazz' was awarded 'Project of the Year' at the Romanian Jazz Awards Gala; and Teodora herself was named 'Musician of the Year' for the second year in a row.

Kingdom Eighties is the latest videogame instalment in the award-winning Kingdom series by gaming studio Raw Fury. It's a single-player adventure game of micro-strategy and base building, heavily inspired by the memories and references of Eighties Americana. You play as The Leader, a young camp counsellor who will have to defend their town and family from the relentless attack of the mysterious Greed. Kingdom Eighties provides a minimalist feel with a beautiful, handcrafted modern pixel art aesthetic, combined with the neon lights of the Eighties and an Eighties inspired synthwave soundtrack.The score is composed by Andreas Hald, a Copenhagen-based film and media composer who has written scores for movies and television. For Kingdom Eighties, Andreas used the exact same instruments that music producers were utilizing in the Eighties, using nothing but analogue gear and tools to create a signature, authentic Eighties sound. To top it off, the soundtrack was mastered or vinyl by Grammy Award-winner Adam Ayan at the Gateway Mastering Studios. The master audio went through multiple iterations to make sure the highest quality sound was obtained for this specific vinyl .Kingdom Eighties is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta colored vinyl. This 2LP set includes a poster of the game and a 4-page booklet with liner notes by the composer and game director. Additionally, it includes two full colour printed innersleeves and is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with gloss laminate finish.

The touch and musicianship of the Hungarian pianist Klára Würtz is amply attested by a substantial catalogue of Brilliant Classics and Piano Classics albums stretching from Mozart to Bartók. Her latest recording turns to a pillar of the keyboard repertoire, the variation set composed by J.S. Bach in 1741 as the fourth and final volume of his compendious Clavier-Übung (Keyboard exercise) project. Practical instruction, entertainment and profound expression went hand in hand for Bach one artistic goal never obscured the others. However, few of his works attain all three goals with the sublime mastery of the Goldberg Variations. The prowess of the performer is tested and placed on show as much as the ingenuity of the creative imagination in Bach's most comprehensive response to the variation genre. 'Composed for connoisseurs, for the refreshment of their spirits' the composer's dedication and introduction makes the artistic intent of the Goldberg Variations plain. Every third variation in the series of 30 is a canon, following an ascending pattern. The variations that intervene between the canons are also arranged in a pattern, following an order of canon, genre piece (such as a minuet or gigue) and a more freely developed and ornate fantasia. The whole set is bookended by an aria in the style of a sarabande which already presents the theme in decorated form as a grave chaconne. The poised classicism of Klára Würtz's pianism makes this new recording of the Goldbergs an album to be keenly anticipated by all pianophiles and lovers of Bach. She takes all the repeats, and plays with the full armory of the modern piano's tonal capabilities.